Philosophy In Film

Episode 107: The Odyssey
This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang sets sail with Christopher Nolan's ambitious retelling of The Odyssey, breathing new life into Homer's timeless epic of monsters, memory, and the long road home. After the fall of Troy, the cunning Odysseus embarks on a perilous journey across unfamiliar seas, where every island, temptation, and trial tests not only his resolve, but the very man he hopes to become before returning to Ithaca.
Craig hoists the sails with Producer's Notes (10:45), while Alain charts the voyage with the Beauclair Synopsis (21:13), navigating a course through gods, monsters, shipwrecks, and impossible choices. In Philosopher's Corner (56:58), Chris charts the course from nostos, the Greek ideal of homecoming, to the modern notion of nostalgia, revealing why the journey home has always been about more than distance. The gang then gathers at the Round Table (1:01:44), where myth, history, and humanity collide before Reviews (1:54:14) and Mailbag (2:03:35) guide us safely back to shore.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because every voyage changes the traveller, but only a few lead us home.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Pyrrhic Victory by Small Gods Brewing Co. X Field House Brewing Co. (Sidney, BC)

Episode 106: Dogville
This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang steps onto the chalk-lined streets of Lars von Trier's provocative 2003 drama, Dogville. When the mysterious Grace arrives seeking refuge from a pair of gangsters, the isolated mountain town reluctantly offers her shelter. But as hospitality gives way to exploitation, kindness slowly curdles into cruelty, revealing just how thin the line between virtue and self-interest can be.
Craig draws the map with Producer's Notes (11:54), while Alain walks the bare stage for the Beauclair Synopsis (19:23), guiding us through Dogville's quiet descent from generosity to moral collapse. In Philosopher's Corner (43:35), Chris shines a light on Immanuel Kant's notion of radical evil, asking what happens when ordinary people gradually learn to justify the unjustifiable. The gang then gathers at the Round Table (57:01), where every line in the sand is up for debate before Reviews (1:48:23) pulls back the curtain for one final look.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because sometimes the darkest places are the ones that seem the most welcoming.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Saints and Sinners IPA by Dog Island Brewing (Slave Lake, AB)

Episode 105 - Back to the Future
Great Scott! This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang travels back in time to 1985 with Robert Zemeckis' beloved sci-fi adventure classic, Back to the Future. When Marty McFly is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric Doc Brown, he quickly discovers that history is far easier to disrupt than repair. Craig kicks things off, generating 1.21 gigawatts of Producer's Notes (5:21), while Alain fires up the DeLorean for the Beauclair Synopsis (19:28). In Philosopher's Corner (37:42), Chris engages the flux capacitor to navigate the film's famously tangled family tree. The gang then convenes at the Round Table (51:05), where timelines intersect, paradoxes emerge, and nobody can quite agree on the rules. Reviews (1:26:33) and Mailbag (1:37:34) bring us safely back to the present, wrapping up the episode before the timeline can drift any further.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because where we're going, we don't need…roads.
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🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - "Why Don't You Make Like A Tree And Get Outta Here" NZ Cascade Pale Ale⁠ by Backcountry Brewing (Squamish, BC)

Episode 104: Glory Daze

This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang cracks open a time capsule with Glory Daze, the scrappy 1995 Gen-X comedy filled with graduation panic, beer-soaked nostalgia, and an early Ben Affleck appearance before the Hollywood spotlight hit. Set over one chaotic night before graduation, the film follows a group of college friends desperately clinging to youth before adulthood finally calls their bluff. Craig stumbles into Producer's Notes (13:29), while Alain pulls an all-nighter for the Beauclair Synopsis (26:18), tracing the film's blend of drunken nostalgia and quarter-life existentialism. In Philosopher's Corner (45:13), Chris settles into the film's strange limbo between youth and adulthood, unpacking the quiet panic that comes with realizing freedom, responsibility, and identity rarely arrive at the same time. The gang gathers at the Round Table (53:50) to kick around one last semester of chaos before Reviews (1:37:46) and Mailbag (1:55:33) crack open a final beer and stumble across the graduation stage into the night.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because sooner or later, everybody has to leave campus.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Mixtape Hazy IPA by Polyrhythm Brewing (Edmonton, Alberta)
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Episode 103: Stand by Me
This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang sets out down the tracks with Rob Reiner's beloved coming-of-age classic, Stand by Me. Based on Stephen King's novella The Body, the film follows four boys as they leave in search of a missing body. What begins as childhood curiosity slowly unfolds into a meditation on friendship, memory, and the quiet moment when innocence gives way to experience. Craig packs the provisions with Producer's Notes (8:30), while Alain walks the rails through the Beauclair Synopsis (19:21), tracing the boys' winding path through campfire confessions and junkyard trials. In Philosopher's Corner (39:48), Chris reflects on the fragile architecture of childhood friendship, asking how loyalty, vulnerability, and social circumstance shape who we become long after the journey ends. The gang gathers at the Round Table (47:20) to revisit the film's enduring emotional resonance, weighing nostalgia against realism and asking why stories of youth often feel clearest in retrospect. Reviews (1:26:57) bring the trip home, as we reflect on a film that continues to find new meaning with each revisit.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical terrain of the film, because sometimes the longest journeys are the ones we only recognize after we've grown up.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Alberta's Great Out S'mores Milk Stout by Hub Town Brewing (Okotoks, AB)